Gilmar Mendes asks for plenary judgment of the billion-dollar case in the sugar and alcohol sector at the STF

The minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Gilmar Mendes presented this Tuesday (22) a request to bring to the plenary the billion-dollar trial involving the sugar and alcohol sector and pitted the dean against ministers who occupy a different wing, such as Kassio Nunes Marques, amid the court crisis.

On the point of order, taken to the Second Panel, the rapporteur of the case defends that the ten ministers analyze the appeal in which it is discussed whether the Union should compensate a sugar and ethanol plant for fixing prices by the extinct IAA (Sugar and Alcohol Institute).

The trial was scheduled in the virtual plenary session of the collegiate – where magistrates cast votes in a system, without discussion of the topic. The analysis begins next Friday (25th) and runs until October 2nd.

Gilmar states that the analysis is necessary to standardize the STF's understanding of the requirement for individual expertise to prove the loss of the plants when the compensation criteria have been defined in a final and unappealable ruling – that is, without the possibility of appeal.

The trial resurfaced after it was revealed that the owner of Banco Master, Daniel Vorcaro, met with Gilmar Mendes on April 11, 2024 to ask him to vote in favor of the cause and benefit the former banker's companies.

Gilmar and André Mendonça voted against, but were defeated by Kassio, Dias Toffoli and Edson Fachin.

On Monday (21), the Metrópoles portal also showed that Master had a contract that provided for fees of up to R$427 million with the office of lawyer Camilla Ramos in the event of success in 12 cases related to court orders in the sugar and alcohol sector.

The shares could yield around R$8.5 billion to Master. Camilla is named alongside her husband, federal judge Newton Ramos, from the TRF-1 (Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region), as a member of the so-called "KN Class", in a possible reference to the Supreme Court minister.